What happened to the student section of years gone by? It is almost embarrassing to see these other schools, even small schools with large wild student sections. It was so much fun to watch and brought such excitement.

I was happy to se the band at the game today but where have they been much of the season? A few games it seemed they couldn’t even keep up with the schools song.

Kids 18-25 now are far less interested in sports in general than they were 20 years ago. And now UE has a high female skew in the student body - and more foreign students than in years gone by.

Lots more discussion about these subjects in the archives here. I'm curious where these small schools are with boisterous student sections. They sure don't seem to be in the MVC from the games I watch on ESPN3.

The band issue is on the President. Those are the kinds of things where a President who cares about Athletics can make a difference. Obviously, we are lacking in that department.

To me, the student section is and has been a lost cause for a long time. There just aren't enough students at UE to make much of a difference anyway. Pafan is right, UE just doesn't attract/recruit the kind of students who are going to go to a ball game. It's not the UE from the 80s or 90s anymore which again, is sad. Granted there are some who would probably get into the games if they went consistently. But the problem is, it just isn't a thing to do because not enough other students are going to the games. College kids aren't going to go the games alone. They do things that are the "in thing" that groups of kids are doing. They go to plays and other random things on campus if other kids they know are going there. If it could become an "in thing" more might go, but it's still not enough to make much of a difference. Like others have said though, most kids who go are going to sit up in the crowd with relatives or friends. That's what I did for 4 years.

The key is getting the general population of Evansville to go. That's always been the driving force.

Tonight's game had a half-time introduction of UE athletic teams with high gpa's ....the large group of students sat together behind the opposing team's bench....after the half-time honoring, that section was empty...I suppose most students left, not even interested in backing the ball team. Also, there was no band tonight, as there usually isn't....no school spirit The community will have to be the supporters of the Aces. Most students do not. Sad, but real, ACES basketball has dismal support from most students, and not much better support in an exciting way from the university itself. Will things change? Evansville is losing a historical and positive part of its identity in the loss of the team that wears its name on their jerseys....does anyone at the university or in the community care?

sect.3purple wrote:Tonight's game had a half-time introduction of UE athletic teams with high gpa's ....the large group of students sat together behind the opposing team's bench....after the half-time honoring, that section was empty...I suppose most students left, not even interested in backing the ball team. Also, there was no band tonight, as there usually isn't....no school spirit The community will have to be the supporters of the Aces. Most students do not. Sad, but real, ACES basketball has dismal support from most students, and not much better support in an exciting way from the university itself. Will things change? Evansville is losing a historical and positive part of its identity in the loss of the team that wears its name on their jerseys....does anyone at the university or in the community care?

Looked to me like most of the kids left as Aces basketball was too boring even for the students who are members of other teams. One could also say that these kids are lacking "UE team loyalty and respect for the other teams at their school." When I was a student athlete at UE we all rooted for the other teams and went to numerous events regardless of how bad the team may have been at the time..it's just what you did, part of the college experience and the support and loyalty you showed and wanted to show.

It's really a sad state of affairs as to the lack of interest on the part of the kids coming to the games as well as the basketball staff trying anything they can to get them to come to the games. McGillis might have had some issues as our former AD, but he made coaches accountable and had them doing things to help their respective programs whether the coaches liked it or not.